Dr. Eric Dinerstein is the founder and Director of the Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions (BWS) at RESOLVE. The twin goals of BWS focus is saving endangered large mammals from extinction and saving tropical rainforests.
BWS brings new innovations in technology to help save endangered species and their habitats, promotes WildTech for global communications and is working to Integrate Biodiversity into Global Forest Watch with the World Resources Institute.

For much of the past 25 years Eric was Chief Scientist at the World Wildlife Fund. Beginning in 1975, he conducted studies of tigers and their prey and led conservation programs for large mammals, such as greater-one horned rhinoceros. Along with Dr. David Olson, he is a co-architect of the Global 200, Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World, and with Dr. Eric Wikramanayake, mapped tiger conservation landscapes, designed the Terai Arc Landscape in Nepal and India, and was a leader in the first Global Tiger Summit, staged in November 2010, to double the wild tiger population.

He is author of The Return of the Unicorns: the Natural History and Conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Columbia University Press); Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations and The Kingdom of Rarities (Island Press), and What Elephants Know, forthcoming in May 2016 (Disney-Hyperion).

Gerardo has worked with UNAM since 1989 with scientific interests and field work focusing on animal ecology, biogeography and conservation of nature. He has directed 19 thesis, 13 master's and doctoral, and carried out conservation projects aimed at protecting species and ecosystems including the creation of Biosphere Reserve Chamela – Cuixmala in Jalisco, Janos Biosphere Reserve, Lerma Marshes and the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. He has directed more than 80 technical studies for various government, academic and private national and international institutions.

Dedicating her life to protecting rainforests and wildlife in some of the world’s most hostile and rugged environments, Dr. Suwanna Gauntlett has set the trend for a new generation of direct action conservationists. Suwanna has designed, implemented, and supported bold, front-line conservation programs to protect threatened rainforests, save endangered wildlife populations, and directly address the causes of poverty in the tropical belt.

Originally from San Francisco, Suwanna grew up in Brazil and Europe. She founded WildAid (precursor to Wildlife Alliance), a direct action nonprofit focusing on saving endangered wildlife in the tropical belt, where 90 percent of the planet’s biodiversity is concentrated.

In 2001, Suwanna began working in Cambodia, training hundreds of rangers, building a wildlife center and veterinary clinic, and began her decade long work to assist national parks and the government to stop uncontrolled wildlife poaching and deforestation and resolve land grabbing. Working with ministries, provincial and district governors, she create a long-term land management plan. In just the first 9 months of ranger operations, 401 cases of land grabbing were stopped, 360 illegal land titles were cancelled, elephant killings were reduced by 98 percent and tiger killings by 50 percent.

She now leads Wildlife Alliance and its work in Southern Cardamom Forest Protection with the Forestry Administration including 6 ranger stations, a tropical reforestation program, a wildlife rehabilitation station, sustainable agriculture and community ecotourism. Today, nearly 2 million acres of continuous forest have been maintained in the Southern Cardamoms, one of the great forest conservation achievements in Asia.

Mike Griffiths has 30 years experience in the conservation of large ecosystems. While most of this work has been in Indonesia where he worked in Java, Borneo and, especially, the northern part of Sumatra, he has also been engaged in Southern China, and Kenya. His pioneering work in seeking recognition for the Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra resulted in the largest grant been given for a conservation anywhere in the world at the that time. He was formerly a director of BPKEL the government agency established by the Government of Aceh charged with the conservation and sustainable use of the Leuser Ecosystem.

Mr. Griffiths brings a unique mixture of skills for understanding the role of conservation in regional development, as he spent most of his early career in the oil and gas industry working predominantly with Halliburton in various parts of the world including, the USA, Norway, Ireland, Japan, China and Indonesia. During this period Mr. Griffiths developed a high reputation in being able to turn around loss making operations into highly profitable ones. Mr Griffiths academic qualifications also equipped him to undertake his various disciplines, graduating with honours with a B.Sc in both Geology and Zoology at the University of Auckland New Zealand. . He also undertook management training courses including graduating from the Roy Huffington Management School in 1979. Mr Griffiths has published three books and authored (or co-authored) seven scientific papers on tropical ecology and conservation. His services to conservation were recognized by his being awarded the title “Officer of the Golden Ark” by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

Martin has nearly 35 years experience in natural resources management and sustainable development. Between 1983-1986 he was assistant director for science and director for conservation planning at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Conservation International (CI), and subsequently director for Mexico for TNC, CI and World Wildlife Fund. From 1994-2013 Martin was the founding president of Sustainable Northwest based in Portland, Oregon.

Martin was critical to successful campaign and stakeholder negotiations for the upcoming removal of four dams on the Klamath River, the largest dam removal project in history. More than 400 miles of the Klamath River system that have been blocked for a century will open up for people and wildlife. Federal officials, the states of Oregon and California, and the utility PacifiCorp signed a pair of agreements opening the way for removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, which flows from Oregon through Northern California.

With Global Conservation, Martin has been instrumental in helping grow our Baja Sur Marine Protection work in Cabo Pulmo and Loreto marine protected areas in Mexico, part of the Sea of Cortes UNESCO World Heritage.

Martin helped found the Oregon Sustainability Board and has served as trustee of several foundations including The Summit Foundation and The Compton Foundation. Currently, Martin serves as trustee of the Fondo Mexicano para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (which he founded), the Meso-American Reef Fund, Sustainable Northwest Wood, Inc, and co-chair of the Advisory board of Aclima, an environmental intelligence/sensor science company.

In 2013 Martin founded Moebius Partners LLC, a consultancy specializing in advising philanthropies, non-profits and triple-bottom line private sector companies. Among his recent clients are the Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality in La Paz, Mexico, the Harry & Leona Helmsley Charitable Trust, International Community Foundation, and California Environmental Associates. He also served as co-chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board and Western Juniper Working Group appointed by the Governor Ted Kulongoski of Oregon.

Martin has lived in Portland since 1994. He was born and raised in Mexico in a tri-cultural family. He travels frequently, mostly in the US, Mexico and Latin America. His hobbies are scuba diving and fly-fishing.

Angus Parker is an investment manager and contract COO, with experience in managing the operations of non-profit organizations. He has served as the Director of Operations for The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Region and the Chief Operation Officer of Island Conservation.

Island Conservation's mission is to prevent extinctions by removing invasive species from islands. We work together with local communities, government management agencies, and conservation organizations on islands with the greatest potential for preventing the extinction of globally threatened species. We develop comprehensive and humane plans for the removal of invasive species, implement the removal of invasive species; and conduct research to better understand how invasive species removal changes and benefits island ecosystems and to inform future conservation action.

Angus has an MBA in Finance & Operations from the Wharton School of Business, and an MS in environmental science from The Johns Hopkins School. Angus is an avid diver and underwater photographer.

Peter H. Raven is one of the world's leading botanists and advocates of conservation and biodiversity. For four decades, he headed the Missouri Botanical Garden, an institution he nurtured into a world-class center for botanical research, education and horticultural display. He retired as president in 2010 and assumed the role of president emeritus and consultant through 2014.

Described by Time magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment. In recognition of his work in science and conservation, Raven is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the prestigious International Prize for Biology from the government of Japan and the U.S. National Medal of Science, the country's highest award for scientific accomplishment. He has held Guggenheim and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships. He initiated and c0-chaired the Flora of China project, which will be completed in 50 volumes in 2013.

Raven was a member of President Bill Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He also served for 12 years as home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences and is a member of the academies of science in Argentina, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, the U.K. and several other countries.

The author of numerous books and reports, both popular and scientific, Raven co-wrote Biology of Plants, an internationally best-selling textbook, now in its sixth edition. He also co-authored Environment, a leading textbook on the environment.

Dr. Ian Singleton is Director of Conservation at PanEco Foundation and Scientific Director for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. He was formerly Senior orangutan keeper at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and Animal keeper at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Zoological Society of London. He studied at the University of Kent (PhD, Ecology; orangutan ranging behavior, 1996 – 2000) and the University of Sunderland (BSc(hons), Environmental Science, 1984 – 1987). On completion of his thesis, he joined with the Swiss-based PanEco Foundation and Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari in 2001 to establish the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. In 2020 he received the distinguished honor of Officer of the Order of the British Empire. This highly esteemed award is in recognition of Ian’s more than 30 years of work and dedication to the protection of orangutans and their habitat in Indonesia.

Ian is kept busy working to confiscate illegal pet orangutans and return them to a life in the wild, in field research and monitoring of the remaining wild Sumatran orangutan population, and in efforts to protect their habitat.

Dr. Greg Asner is the director of Arizona State University's Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science. He serves on the faculty of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. Asner is an ecologist recognized for his exploratory and applied research on ecosystems and climate change at regional to global scales. His research spans the areas of spatial ecology and biodiversity, terrestrial carbon cycle, animal-habitat interactions, and climate change. He develops scientific approaches and technologies for investigation and conservation assessments of large ecoregions. Asner has published hundreds of scientific articles and has served in numerous national and international programs with NASA, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations. He is a recipient of multiple scientific and sustainability awards and is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

The work of Dr. Asner and his team has been instrumental in several aspects of Global Conservation's efforts. Their LiDAR scanning program in particular has contributed greatly to the conservation of Mirador National Park as well as our Carbon for Forests initiative.

Sarah is a cultural and forest ecologist focused on catalyzing community-led conservation in overlooked biodiversity hotspots. She firmly believes that human dignity and agency are prerequisites for saving nature. Sarah serves as executive director at Paso Pacifico, an organization she founded in 2005. The organization supports community and landowner efforts to build localized wildlife corridors across the human-populated landscapes of western Mesoamerica. Sarah is a social entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow. She and her team are currently building a digital platform to engage youth in cocreating forests with small-scale and indigenous farmers, reviving economies and slowing climate change.

Tint Thaung is the first country program director for The Nature Conservancy of Myanmar. He has over 30 years of experience in natural resources management in the Asia Pacific region. He served as the Executive Director of RECOFTC-The Centre for People and Forests from 2011-2016, and prior to that, spent 5 years with TNC, first as AP Regional Forest Conservation Coordinator and later as the Training and Institutional Development Advisor for the RAFT program. Tint began his career as a national park warden and revenue officer at a Thai-Myanmar border logging operation. After six years with the Forestry Department of Myanmar, he became the first Myanmar Country Program Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Tint received his master’s degree in Natural Resources Management and Development from the Asian Institute of Technology, and his PhD in Forest Restoration from the University of Queensland.